Trichster A documentary about the impulse control disorder Trichotillomania - page 5

Below is a guest blog from our photographer friend Sophie who is starting to generate buzz in the trich community.

I am entering my senior year at the School of Visual Arts in
Manhattan, majoring in Photography. This summer I began taking sketch
comedy classes at the Upright Citizens Birgade theater in NYC, and in
the Fall of last year I was a Photography Department intern at
Saturday NIght Live. People know me as being very outgoing and funny
so when I decided to document my struggle with Trich, people were so
surprised by how well I hide that part of my life. I think it is
important to not be afraid to come out and tell people that you have a
disorder. Everyone has their own struggle and this is ours.

As a part of my Senior Thesis project, I would like to photograph
people with Trichotillomania or
Dermatillomania in order to raise awareness for the disorders. I
myself, have both disorders, and have been struggling with them for
about 12 years. Unfortunately, I was not diagnosed with the disorders
until 8 years in, so I just thought I was a freak and the only one in
the world who was suffering from this weird habit. Now there is more
information available online, but whenever I search for images of
Trich, they are always really frightening images. I would like to
change the perseption of the way people look at us and our disorder
and I would like to photograph people in a beautiful way, but still
acknowledging the fact that they suffer from Trich or Dermatillomania.
I have already been photographing myself for 3 years, and now it is
time for me to branch out and learn about how others handle the
stressful life of a “trichster.”

I am looking for people who aren’t afraid to tell their story (through
photographs) and want to assist me in spreading awareness for the
disorder. Men, women, and children of all ages are welcome to contact
me! I am located in either the NYC or DC/MD/VA area. I will be
working on this project for at least the next 6 months. Please e-mail
me at Sophe89@gmail.com if you are interested or have any questions!
You can see some of my self-documentary work at:
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Trich-or-Treat/3785672
Thank you!

Thank you so very much to all 167 people who backed Trichster. We could not be more thrilled that we not only met our goal of $10,000 but also managed to climb to $12,000 in just 35 days! Please keep tabs on our progress and check the updates section of the kickstarter page for posts. We’ll be filling you in every step of the way! While we have just begun production and have a ways to go before the film nears completion, we hope you enjoy the finished product. This is your film too! Together we will make a difference in a community that desperately needs awareness and introduce trichotillomania to the world. From the entire Trichster creative team, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We could not have done this without your support and we look forward to sharing this film with you!

Thank you to some very generous donors we are officially funded! Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us this far, we are so thankful and indebted to you all. We still have 9 days so please continue to share our page!

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About Trichster

The documentary follows the lives of seven trichsters over the course of a year and details their daily struggles with Trichotillomania. What is it like to have trich? How often do people pull out their hair? Why do they do it? How does it affect their friends and loved ones?

We are on a quest to discover how we can make a difference in the trich community by raising awareness, generating interest, and ultimately, allowing those who are silently suffering to come forward and seek help.